The Badassery of Iceland

I thought I'd be impressed with Iceland. I mean otherwise why would I have come here? I suppose it'll happen one of these days, one of these travels. I'll pick a destination that disappoints. That'll have to wait for another time. Iceland (Well, Reykjavik specifically) rocks. Austere, yet friendly. Forbidding, yet warm. A long-term stay is surely not for the woosy among us. It takes a hardiness, of spirit, mind, and body, I should think, to survive here. Winter is just now coming - Saturday being its first official day in Iceland - in October. My guess, though I have nothing to back it up, is that it'll last until April, the end of April. Six full months of absolute cold, stormy cold, severe cold. Hell, if it's cold now, I can only imagine what February is like.

Nonetheless, native Icelanders, the intrepid descendents of Vikings, a heritage they seem insanely proud of (and why shouldn't they be?), will roll with it. These are people who swim in the ocean on the last day of autumn when the air temp hovers just below freezing and the water temp....well, I don't even want to imagine how cold the water was/is. This is a nation full of badasses, if you ask me.

Cold tolerance isn't all Iceland does well. In four short days here, I discovered a lot about the country and the city of Reykjavik that I never expected. What follows is a list of things I learned that Iceland is pretty good at...in no particular order...

• Sunrises - Saturday morning I was treated to the best sunrise I have ever seen. In my life. Myt entire life. Sadly, I was driving so I wasn't able to get any pictures. I don't travel to see my journey from behind a camera (or iPhone) so while I'm disappointed, I'm also not. I don't know if I photograph would have done it justice anyway. Orange, red, purple, until it finally faded to a pink glow on the mountains. That was the morning I raced (I was driving to the race site) and if there was ever an omen for a good run, that sunrise was it. 

• Wind - Iceland is a windy place. Needless to say, there are wind chills. Before running along the water in a steep, frigid headwind, I'd never experienced a frozen face. Oh, I lived in Michigan for almost a decade and ran through a couple winters in Kansas so I've experienced cold weather. Just never so severe and windy that my face froze. Note that the feeling of a face unfreezing is indescribable. When liquid snot started to replace frozen snot, I knew I was on the thaw.

• Burgers - Ok, we Americans think that burgers are our domain. If we didn't invent them, we assuredly perfected them. Typical American we-are-the-best-at-everything-in-the-whole-wide-world cockiness. I hate to say it America (not really) but Iceland's got some freaky good burgers. Last night I checked Trip Advisor for some "Cheap Eats" (Nothing is actually cheap in Iceland...) and saw that a burger place called Block Burger had gotten some good reviews. Plus it was within easy walking distance from my hotel. Sold. I  have never in my life taken one bite of a burger and wished I'd ordered a double nor have I gotten halfway done and SERIOUSLY considered ordering a second one. The Basic Block Burger was THAT good. Juicy, great flavor, just the right amount of condiments and cheese. The fries were kickass, too. My only regret is that I discovered the place on my last night. 

• Tourism - Reykjavik has it down to a science. Once upon a time no one came to Iceland. Now, with some intense advertising campaigns and Icelandair's ingenious "Stop Over" concept, it's The Place. Iceland went through a pretty tough financial crises in the early 2000s. Tourism is what got the country back on its feet. And let me tell you, they do it well. From airport transfers to lodging to all different kinds of tours, it's all a piece of cake. Booking is easy. My hotel desk handles all of it for their guests (I'm sure most other hotels do as well). In addition, I would imagine that the competition for the tourist kronor has made everyone up their game. The breakfast at my hotel, as one example, was spectacular. Not omelets made to order or anything but the best hotel buffet I've come across in my travels. There is truly something for everyone in Iceland (including a penis museum...which still makes me shake my head) and it's all amazingly accessible. 

• English - Look, I've traveled to a lot of places where English is a very strong second language - Denmark, Sweden, Norway - but Icelanders (at least here in Reykjavik) speak damn good English. Better than many Americans (America, they do burgers and English better than us? And they haven't been in a war since WWII? Hmm...). It goes along with the rise in tourism, I'm sure (English is the international language of travel). Everywhere I went, people spoke to me in English, impeccably good English. I heard Icelandic spoken in places (at the race Saturday for one), but by and large English was everywhere. Signage included. 

• Running - Who would think that an ice cube would have such a great and welcoming running community? I like "cold weather" running, but I can't see myself trekking out in Iceland during the few sunny hours of daylight in the middle of a frigid, windy winter. I am clearly not Icelandic. Granted maybe only the best showed up for the race, but the field for Saturday's half marathon was one of the fastest I've ever run with. I was beyond impressed by not just the runners but by the community that seemed so apparent before, during, and after the race. These are people who love running and love supporting one another. Competition was steep yet there were high 5's and well wishes all along the out and back course. And - get this - there were spectators. On a cold, windy, challenging morning, people chose to stand outside and cheer on the runners. Super cool.

• Badassery - To this warm weather American, Icelanders are badasses. They stand out and watch a race (boring even on a nice day) and they swim in the ocean - THE OCEAN - on the cusp of winter. On my Icelandair flight, I watched a documentary about a bunch of Icelandic guys who surf. Here. In Iceland. This a country full of badasses. Period.

Iceland is a harsh and beautiful place. It is proud of its heritage and excited about its future. From what I can tell at least. I know I was - I am - impressed. There is so much to see here and - pardon the expression - but I only touched on the tip of the iceberg. I'm a city person so I focused on Reykjavik, but the rest of the country stretches out in every direction. Forbidding and inviting all at the same time. And totally badass.